Penetration.... 338 vs 375

I am heading to AK for moose. I have some LR 338's but no 375's or raft/carry capable 338's. So shopping for a new gun and I thought about the 375 ruger guide gun, it's light, short and a bunch of energy for moose, it works out in close quarters for furry monsters. Well none of those guns are actually for sale so............. I keep looking at the 338 300gr accubond(338 RUM) vs 375 300gr accubond(375 RUM). Numbers are numbers but if I end up building a raft/carry gun tell me which way to go............. I want to keep barrel length 24" or under for stalking, stainless/synthetic, open sites as a backup.

A friends custom .375 Ruger just got recently finished. Test fired against steel the factory 300 grain Hornady went through the first target, and put a big dent in one behind it. It looked to be expanded to roughly 1.75". I saw the bullet but don't know the details of the steel. The guys shooting are experienced steel shooters and they were impressed.

All that said, bullet weight seems to add a bit of smash factor on large bone.

I've seen the Swift A-Frame .338 275 grain in action, and there is not much that walks, talks, squeaks, or squawks, I would not shoot with it.

Even the old Winchester 300 grain bullets penetrate great.

I've had great success with Accubonds, and while I have not shot the 300 grain from my .338 RUM I would expect it to at least maintain the reputation of 300 grain .338's for penetration, and maybe move the bar.

You've picked two strong choices, and I would choose based on an available rifle that was most suitable for the trip I had in mind.

Moose aren't as tough as you think. They are stout for sure but you don't need gobs of energy. A 30 cal 180 of good construction will rip even the largest arctic bulls from bow to stern. They key here is bullet construction.

All things considered after being involved in too many moose kills to remember is that stout bullets work the best on big moose. A 180 Barnes or 200 accubond are pure death for mature Alaska/Yukon bulls. 300 grain 338 accubonds have worked very well too. You just need enough durability to get through the shoulder if you are faced with a quartering to you shot. Whether its a 308 win/180 TSX or 300 win/200 accubond or 338rum/300 grain accubond, the moose is dead.

A 338 or 375 is well and good but definately not needed. Big bears are different. IMO when it comes to big brownies, bigger calibers are better. Raw energy helps stifle a big bears attitude. Moose are a life cycle waiting to die.

Section density is a very important factor for penetration. I've seen guys blow clean through bulls with 6.5mm 140 partitions. About the same SD as a 190 grain 30 cal. I'm not a big fan of the 6.5 for moose but would feel reasonably comfortable taking one with a 140 accubond or partition.

I have never shot a moose but I have shot lots of big animals with 338 and 375's I want to say 375 all the way because my passion is 375 diameter bullets. However I bought a 338 win a year or so ago and have now killed 3 elk with it a bear and several deer and antelope. One of the elk was at 890 yards and my 225 TTSX even exited...it surprised me to say the least. Which leads me to believe I have under estimated the 338 caliber. I have never had a problem killing anything with any of my 338's I just like the 375 more... so I think you are safe with anything you can find in 338 or 375
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I will just have to buy both I guess! I hate to be standing in the brush wishing I had more gun. I will just see what parts I can scrounge and whatever barrel I find first will win. Thanks for the responses.

I spent 25 yrs.crushing game with a 340 Wby w/225 partitions mostly. I would not even hesitate on any NA game with my 338 Norma with a 300 gr. projectile,mightchange make for game desired but it is a hammer 1483 E at 1500 yrds. I slammed moose with the 340. My carry gun is the 338 NM. I have had a few Weatherbys so it would be easy to talk me into a 375 Wby.

I looked into the 378 wby but all the guns available don't fit the size I am looking at. I have a 338/378 so it would of fit right in. I would like to shoot a 460 someday, don't see many of those around.

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